Orion filter wheel....just got one

[OneOfOne]

I just bought an Orion filter wheel last weekend. I have only had a chance to use it once so far, but it certainly makes it easy to compare the difference between having a filter in and not. I had a look at a few things, Swan nebula in particular, and the amount visible when you switch to the UHC filter is very impressive. Before getting this I had to spend quite a bit of time taking the eyepiece out, screw in the filter and put it back, so you couldn't really be sure just how much difference it makes.

The wheel will take 5 filters, but recomend leaving one empty, and allows you to just turn it to select the one you want. Needs an extra 20 or so mm of in focus, so it may be a problem for some Newts.

[Dennis]

Good report! Sounds like a very useful aid for those who use filters for visual observing and need to switch between various filters during the session.

Cheers

Dennis

[OneOfOne]

Next time I have the scope out I might take out one of the colour filters and put in the OIII. I always thought the difference between OIII and UHC was fairly minor, but it is very hard to remember the subtleties of an image "in your head". It would also be a great way to compare filters by the different manufacturers too. I might give this a bit of a go at Ballarat next month to compare various UHCs.